Linux Format forumsHelp, discussion, magazine feedback and more2017-09-26T08:40:12+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/feed.php2017-09-26T08:40:12+00:002017-09-26T08:40:12+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17363&p=118729#p118729I have sometimes had problems when a mixed ecology of systems is present, for example some flavours of Windows used to grab control of your DNS given half a chance and muck up the connectivity of your Linux boxes. Similarly, if Linux got there first then the router would refuse to let the Win box make the grab, so it would sulk by failing to recognise the (embedded Linux) router's control of DNS. Even today, one busy machine that gets there first can hog the link and slow the others down so much that their connections break. What brand/s of mobile device get used over the WiFi? Do the periods of disconnection tend to come when there is lots of activity from (an)other device/s?

Don't stop the swapping-around experiments though, they will help to pin down the area of trouble.

]]>2017-09-25T17:06:27+00:002017-09-25T17:06:27+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17363&p=118726#p118726Does pinging IP addresses work, tricky faults like this can often be caused by DNS.

]]>2017-09-25T07:16:12+00:002017-09-25T07:16:12+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17363&p=118724#p118724Another thing to try (not at the same time) is swapping to different Ethernet ports.

Presumably your PC and laptop connect to the NAS, but phones etc do not? That might just affect the ones that use it, though I have little experience with remote file systems.

Also, don't rule out the Internet point of presence (PoP) at the exchange. It will be auto-configuring and sometimes they do things like giving priority to mobile traffic. Sometimes a bright idea can make them badly behaved for a while until the maintainers learn the error of their ways.

It is most apparent on my desktop PC. (Espcially if I am running it from a liveUSB stick). This has been happening for a few months now, but getting progressivleyworse.

However this is just starting to affect my laptop too.

Normally a reboot or two (of the PC or laptop) will seem to resolve the issue for a little while.But this is becoming more like 4/5/6 reboots in order to resolve the problem.which is becoming quite frustrating.

My desktop and laptop are both hardwired via a switch. The modem / swtich / and cat cablesare all around 4-5 yrs old at this point.

My laptop sits on my computer desk, my desktop PC sits on a trolley next to my desk.The cat cables are 5m in length, and its about 2.5m between the switch and the computers

I do move the trolley from time to time (to get that the plugs and what-not behind thetrolley), but there is a good amount of extra cable length, so there is no danger ofthe cables being pulled out of the sockets in the switch.

I dont seem to get many dropouts when using wifi on my phone or tablet.

Troubleshooting -

1. I have re-seated the cat cables in all my devices (desktop, laptop, NAS)2. Rebooted the (desktop, laptop, NAS)

This is leading me to think that I may have a dying swtich or dying ports on the switch.

Q1. Is there anything that I can check to determine where the issue lies ?Q2. Am I missing anything ?Q3. Am I best off just buying a new switch and or cat cables ?

Writing this out has just made me realise that I haven't powercycled the switch forquite a while. (I will do this now).

Useful information:

My network set up is a follows -Virgin media cable modem/router (downstairs)Cat cable run upstairs to switch (upstairs in office)PCs and NAS connected to switch (upstairs in office)

]]>2017-09-20T20:48:52+00:002017-09-20T20:48:52+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17362&p=118722#p118722jonni. I had rather suspected it might possibly be something like that but it just took me completely by surprise to receive an email like that!

]]>2017-09-20T09:33:08+00:002017-09-20T09:33:08+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17362&p=118721#p118721Apologies. The LXF inbox is full of similar messages from confused subscribers this morning. It seems like whoever's sending out the emails pushed the wrong button, possibly after one too many International Talk Like a Pirate Day grogs yesterday . Even I have unsubscribed, apparently. But please don't worry, no one's subscriptions have really been prematurely curtailed.

]]>2017-09-19T19:57:02+00:002017-09-19T19:57:02+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17362&p=118720#p118720“I understand you recently unsubscribed from Linux Format, so I thought I’d drop you an email just to let you know what’s inside the next issue, in case you fancy picking up a copy...”

which implies that I am not going to receive any more copies. I have just checked my account which shows that my expiry issue is Jan 2018 issue 232 and that I have four remaining issues, next issue 229. The email rather implies that I will not be receiving the October issue 229 (or the next three copies after that) and that I will have to “pick up a copy...”.

]]>2017-09-17T18:59:40+00:002017-09-17T18:59:40+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17361&p=118719#p118719I would like a replacement method which works on Linux, Android and Windows (for some of the family)I have a Laptop running Linux Mint 18, a Tablet running Cyanogenmod. Want to communicate when traveling, and also with family & friends regularly.I have looked at several items: Wire:- now you would think this would work, created by one of the original Skype people. Lovely interface, works in a browser, has a desktop for Linux and Windows. Nice Android App, but when I call someone, they answer, but it disconnects my end. Also sound can sound like 'chipmonks' my end (only have Internet 10Mb/s down and 1Mb/sec up. Dish to mountaintop) so basically unusableJitsi:- (tends to crash and lots of echo, cured by headphones). I cannot work out on the Android app how to connect to an individual person. I may be using the wrong app, but all it asks for is a room, nothing about an account. What is all that about? One good point is that you can adjust the mic and speaker volumes easily.Ekiga:- need to set up port forwarding on the router, no good for me.Linphone:- nice Android App, but can I get it to install in Linux? No I can't! I am not a beginner, I have been using Gentoo for nearly 20 years.Tox:- Installed the PPA, but nothing found when trying to install it. No good.Ring:- Constantly crashing my tablet. Could not get it to work properly on the desktop, and very strange way of logging in, I could not find a way of adding an account I already had from a fresh install. Very frustrating to try and use.

Has anyone got an alternative to Skype actually working? Also how about our Great Magazine does an article on this subject. I am sure alot of people would like to see the back of Skype.Perhaps someone can tell me how to setup Wire with Pulseaudio so the chipmonks disappear. Perhaps some way to tweak audio somewhere (not possible in the software).Or something else altogether.Video Calls between Linux/Android/Windows ideally opensource. Not much to ask in my opinion.

]]>2017-09-09T11:14:43+00:002017-09-09T11:14:43+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17360&p=118718#p118718You don't set permissions on hard drives, you set them on directories. When you created the ext4 filesystem on the drive the root directory was owned by root, that's what you changed. Despite the advice you often find on the internet, ownership of the mount point is irrelevant, it is the ddata on the filesystem that carries the permissions.

]]>2017-09-07T14:38:33+00:002017-09-07T14:38:33+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17360&p=118717#p118717I didn't know Dolphin could do the permissions for hard drives, but cracked it now, bit puzzled by the following.When I tried su "password" Dolphin, I got this :- [CODE][root@localhost dave]# dolphinQStandardPaths: wrong ownership on runtime directory /tmp/runtime-dave, 500 instead of 0QStandardPaths: wrong ownership on runtime directory /tmp/runtime-dave, 500 instead of 0"Session bus not found\nTo circumvent this problem try the following command (with Linux and bash)\nexport $(dbus-launch)"[root@localhost dave]# [END]Finally found "Open a console as administrator" used "Dolphin %u" and Dolphin opened.I Don't know what the %u is for, or if it made any difference here.However all is Ok now, angai many thanks.Dave P..

]]>2017-09-07T14:39:12+00:002017-09-06T20:04:07+00:00https://linuxformat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17360&p=118715#p118715Pc-Linux 64bit KDE5(Plasma) fully updated,I have an internal second hard drive that I wish to use as a backup.The drive shows up in Dolphin, but if I try to drag and drop a file to it I get the following :-[MESSAGE]Access Denied, Could not write to.[END]The drive is formatted ext4, and mount point is /home